How much food is too much food for a 2 month old Chameleon?

[HueTheChameleon]

My veiled chameleon, Hue, is two months old and has a voracious appetite. Hue eats 20-30 medium sized crickets a day, and doesn't eat more because I don't put more in. I thought it was a problem with calorie in take so I have been supplementing his 20-30 1/2" crickets with 10 wax worms a day. Again, he eats all of it. We have a Jade Plant in the cage, and he has eaten about half of it by now. I keep reading that they should eat around 20 crickets a day, so I have been hesitant to feed him more than 30 a day. Should I just keep feeding like I have been or should I really put in as many as he will eat. I have no idea what that number would be. Is there a limit I should be concerned with?

I dust with calcium every other day and give a multivitamin once a month (so 3 times in total now). I'm just concerned with the total number of crickets.

 

[MSMorgan]

At 2 mo. old, let him eat what he can. There's no limit and you should let him go as far as he can on what you've got. Let him gorge and provide a variety to include crickets, supers, dubias ad the like. Let him eat until you find extras in the enclosure.

 

[kinyonga]

If he starts to get too fat cut back a bit.

 

[kinyonga]

Constant over feeding can lead to health issues.
I usually let them eat what they can in a couple of minutes at each feeding then leave a couple of crickets in the cage for a snack.

 

[Andee]

Do not feed that many wax worms, wax worms are more fat and calories of the empty kind that just add grams on. And you should be dusting with calcium w/o D3 every feeding, calcium with d3 twice a month and a multivitamin twice a month.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

Hue is shedding again, so there's a chance that the extra crickets were to help with the growth. Today I put 36 in and he only ate about half.

 

[Andee]

Seems like he knows what he needs lol XD why listen to us? He knows exactly what his body needs, silly chameleon-keepers they know nothing about chameleons XD. It's the reptiles who hold all the power.

 

[HueTheChameleon]

If he starts to get too fat cut back a bit.

How can you tell if he's fat?

 

[Andee]

His casque and cheek pads and tail base is where all the fat stores are. If they are bulging out they mean he's overweight, take a picture and we can give you an estimate.